Through a Vietnamese Lens

By Ron Gluckman

Word Count: 565

HO CHI MINH CITY — The world doesn’t pay much attention to Vietnamese cinema, and it’s easy to see why. The Communist government maintains strict control over the movie industry, resulting in a flood of state-funded films with nationalist themes. Finally, a new law allowing for films made by private firms may help put Vietnamese flicks on the map. At least one promising director is seizing this opportunity. Othello Khanh, the owner of a major Vietnamese film-production company called CreaTV, hopes to make homegrown cinema that will make a splash overseas. Before recent changes in local law, this wouldn’t have